05/26/2026
Such a joy that Priti joined us in the boat and in the fishing stage! Congratulations on her PhD completion 🐟💙 We are proud to have been a part of her graduate studies journey! 👩🎓
Meet Priti Thapa from the Gorkha community in India, whose PhD research at Memorial is asking a question most fishing communities would rather not answer.
Now based in St. John's, Priti studies inclusion through social enterprises. Her research takes place inside Fishing for Success in Petty Harbour, a social enterprise that pushes back against the old belief that women are bad luck on the boat. She is looking at how organizations like this one open doors that intergenerational tradition has kept shut, and what that means for the people left outside.
She did not take the usual path. Priti spent decades in a career in India, completed an MBA at a premier institute, and built a full life. At nearly fifty, she decided that was not enough. She left it all to pursue a PhD abroad. She chose Memorial for its affordability, its faculty, and the Faculty of Business Administration's commitment to what she calls "Business not as usual."
Since arriving, she has received the BMO Financial Group Graduate Scholarship for three consecutive years running. She has published, taught, presented at conferences, and co-authored work in a reputed journal.
Her advice to anyone holding back: "Overcome the barriers in your mind. The journey is not only about the degree but about the person you are becoming along the way."
Read the full story: https://www.mun.ca/become/graduate/student-success/all-aboard/
Inspired by her story? Graduate studies at Memorial might be closer than you think.
Apply today: https://www.mun.ca/become/graduate/apply-to-memorial/
